Qatar Denies Hamas Funding Claims in New Yorker Article

Doha has vehemently denied allegations of funding Hamas, as presented in a recent article by The New Yorker. Qatar's international media office issued a strong statement calling the documents cited in the article "absolute forgeries." While Qatar did not object to the broader discussion of its lobbying efforts in the U.S. and Israel, a specific paragraph alleging financial support for Hamas, including for tunnel construction and weapons procurement, drew sharp criticism.

The disputed section of the article reportedly referenced documents seized by the Israeli military and statements made by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a 2019 meeting with Qatar's Foreign Minister. Qatar asserts that it provided the magazine with "exhaustive proof" of the documents' falsity, claiming other reputable media outlets had previously received and rejected similar fabricated papers.

Qatar's leadership accused the article's authors of unprofessionalism and of aiding forces engaged in a "large-scale disinformation campaign" against the country. Doha specifically pointed to "Israeli far-right circles" as being behind the alleged disinformation, aiming to tarnish Qatar's reputation. The Qatari government maintains that all humanitarian and financial aid to Gaza over the years has been distributed through transparent mechanisms fully coordinated with the Israeli government, involving oversight from various Israeli ministries and intelligence agencies like Mossad and Shin Bet.

Qatar concluded that if any allocated funds ended up with Hamas, the responsibility lies entirely with Israel, which controlled the logistics. Doha views these alleged fabrications as an attempt to undermine peace initiatives and Qatar's role as a key international mediator.